FanDuel Lineup and Picks for Saturday, May 5
Orioles at A’s
Orioles Probable Starter – Kevin Gausman, RHP
4.15 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 7.79 K/9
Vs LHH – .267 average, .369 wOBA and 30.6 hard contact rate
Vs RHH – .256 average, .326 wOBA and 37.3 hard contact rate
Right off the jump, a player that stands out is Matt Olson. Not only is his price down to $2,600 but he finally broke out a little bit last night with a home run and a double. To finish off the puzzle even further, Gausman is allowing a fly ball rate of over 45 percent to lefty hitters so far in 2018. With a guy like Olson and his power, that’s not a good way to live. Matt Joyce also continues to be too cheap for his role as a leadoff hitter. The A’s are in play tonight, especially if they’re hitting from the left side of the plate. I might not go with a full A’s stack as Gausman is capable of throwing a quality start.
A’s Hitters to Target
Elite Options – Matt Joyce, Matt Olson, Jed Lowrie(kind of pricey but he deserves that tag)
Secondary Options – Khris Davis, Marcus Semien
A’s Probable Starter – Trevor Cahill, RHP
3.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 9.50 K/9
Vs LHH – .111 average, .170 wOBA and 41.2 hard contact rate
Vs RHH – .263 average, .350 wOBA and 50.0 hard contact rate
This is a good example of why stats can be misleading. If you just look at the Orioles stats against righty pitching, Cahill looks awfully attractive. They rank in the bottom 10 of many offensive categories against righties and this pitching slate is a bit dicey. Then you look at Cahill and realize he’s been a reverse splits guy last season and its carried into this year. The Orioles are too righty-heavy to trust Cahill in this matchup. They could potentially throw seven or eight righties out there if they wanted to. I might just end up leaving this side of the equation alone. Even though the plaits look poor, Cahill still generates ground balls at a major clip. Baltimore could have a rough go tonight.
Orioles Hitters to Target
Elite Options – Manny Machado
Secondary Options – Adam Jones, Trey Mancini, Mark Trumbo
Home Run Pick – Matt Olson makes it two nights in a row